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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · chest · arm · lean · face · temple · tear · stock

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — a box
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — thin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — goods
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com